A Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa killed five people and injured 32, the regional governor said on April 29, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for faster deliveries of desperately needed weapons for depleted and outgunned Ukrainian troops.
The evening attack on Odesa killed three women and one man, Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. He reported later that another man died of a stroke suffered as a result of the attack.
Of the 32 people who were injured, 25 are in the hospital, he said. Among them are two children, ages 5 and 16, and one pregnant woman. The 5-year-old is in extremely serious condition, he said, adding that six of the adults are also in serious condition.
WATCH: A Russian missile attack on a building known as "Harry Potter's Castle" in the Ukrainian port of Odesa killed at least five people on April 29.
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Russian Missile Attack Hits Ukraine's 'Harry Potter's Castle' In Odesa
Zelenskiy made his comments earlier in Kyiv at a joint news conference with visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. He said that small quantities of weapons and ammunition had begun arriving in Ukraine, but he urged that the deliveries gain momentum faster in order to be useful.
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"Timely support for our army. Today I don't see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slowly begun, but this process needs to be sped up," he said.
"Promptness in supply literally means a stabilization of the front line.... Together we must disrupt the Russian offensive."
An influx of weapons is expected to flow after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a long-delayed $61 billion military aid package last week. Biden said the package would include air defense munitions to help Ukraine protect its cities and infrastructure, artillery shells, and long-range missile systems.
Stoltenberg, visiting the Ukrainian capital for the third time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, acknowledged "serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield."
"For months, the U.S. was unable to agree a package and European allies have been unable to deliver ammunition at the scale we promised," he added. "Ukraine has been outgunned for months and forced to ration its ammunition.... More support is on the way."
The Russian Defense Ministry on April 29 said that it had captured a village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk and was advancing westward.
"Units of the Center Group of Forces liberated the village of [Semenivka] in...Donetsk," it said on Telegram.
Ukraine has not commented on the claim, which could not be independently verified.
Semenivka is located about 10 kilometers from Avdiyivka, which fell to Russian forces in February after a fierce battle that lasted for several months.
Ukraine’s top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, warned on April 28 that the situation in the east had deteriorated, with Russia attacking "along the entire front line."
SEE ALSO: Ukraine's Top General Says Frontline Conditions Worsen, Troops Fall Back"The enemy deployed up to four brigades in these directions, is trying to develop an offensive west of Avdiyivka and Maryinka, making its way to Pokrovsk and Kurakhove," Syrskiy said, adding that the Russian gains were of limited importance.
"In general, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these directions, but could not gain operational advantages," he added.